Game apparatus.



V. S. DURBIN.

GAME APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 1AN.13.1917.

1,228,542, PatentedJune 5, 1917,

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Bel it known that I, Vorraw S. Dunrn, a citizen odi the. United States, residing in the city ofSt. Louis. and State of Missouri, have invented new and useful Improvements. in Game Apparatus, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention. relates. to a game appa.- ratus, by means ofwhich aninstruetive and amusing game, maybe played. The general object is to produce a gaine apparatus in which the pieces; have different values and are in two distinctive duplicate sets which may be set upon a `game board,each set bein-g played by onev oli the opponents. In this way many situations may arise in which a number` of pieces of lower value maybe sacrificed in order to score with one; oi? the pieces having a relatively higher value.,

One of my objects is to familiarize the mind of the players with the electoral votes corresponding to the different States; and in order to give an added interest to the. game I prefer that, `the pieces shall correspond. to the 'different StatesA and have a value corresponding to their electoral votes.

While the. game may be played in many different ways, in the following specification I have described it as a modification of the game of checkers, but.y this is done merely by way of example.

. Further obj ectsfof the invention `will-here,- inafter appear.

In the drawing, which illustratesthe preferred embodiment: of my game apparatus?- Figure 1 isa plan of a gamel board upon which the. movable` pieces are set, ready to begin play; and y Fig.y 2, is a. plan` showing a corner of the board, and indicating a feature of the` game.

The game apparatus preferably includes a game board 1, the surface of which is provided with means torindicating the direction of movement to be taken by the movable pieces. In the present instance the game board is very similar to an ordinary checker board, that is to say, it has a checkered surface composed of squares arranged in transverse rows, but each row contains sixteen squares instead of eight. In this way there are available eight alternate squares in each row, and consequently forty-eight pieces representing the forty-eight States of the Union may be set in six rows at the front and back end of the board. The movable pieces 2 and 3 are preferably in the ferm of Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 5, 1917.

Application led January 13, 12917:., Serial No.l 142,125.

small circular blocks which are in two dupli- Gate sets which are distinctive. That is to say, eachl set is preferably of a different color from the other set. lEach set represents a political party, and if desired may have means for indicating to which party the set corresponds. a For the sake of illustration in Figt l I have represented one of the sets with alheavy black band or ring at the periphery of each piece. Each piece corresponds to one. of the States of the Union, and has means upon it` for indicating to which State it corresponds, Each piece also bears a number indicating the' electoral vote of that State.,

The game may be played with this apparatus in manner desired. However, I preier that the game be played in accordance. with the general rules of the game of checkerS, including the rule' of checkers which requires that, if an opportunity to jump a piece is offered, the player who refuses tov takethe exposed piece' may be required to forfeit the piece which had the opportunity to take if the situation has been observed by the opponent player. In removing such pieces the player who has forfeited the piece loses by the value of the piece., That is to say, the opponent player scores to his own credit the value of the piece.l If a piece representing a certain State is jumped and taken by one of the players, the player taking the piece scores its value to his credit. A player who has taken such piece leaves his own correspondingv piece on the board and continues to advance it whenever he chooses. If the said piece is` finally advanced to the king row the piece is then turned over and has the moves of a king in checkers. That is to say, it can move in any direction. Fig. 2 shows one of these pieces on the king row which has been turned over to 4indicate that it has the moves of a king. ,When a piece has been advanced to the opponents king row in this way the piece is then considered an elected governor and then campaigns to assist the other pieces. That is to say, it moves about the board like a king in checkers and takes as many of the opponents pieces as possible. In case one of the players advances one of his pieces to the opponents king row, and the opponents corresponding piece is still on the board, then the opponent must remove his piece. A For exam le, if the piece representing Missouri of t e white set arrives at piece of the blacks'must be removed from the board wherever 1t happens to be, and the .score of the player having the'white piece is increased by a number of points egualrto the electoral vote of the State of Mlssourl.

The whiteMissouri piece is then reversed on the boardA at the back row and is considered an elected governor with the moves of a king.

The game may be played to a nish, if desired, that is, until all the pieces of one of the players have been taken by the other player; but in playing thegame it is evident that a continuous scoring takes place and the players may stop at any time desired and consider that the game has gone as indicated by the relative total scores of the two players.

The object of the game, of course, is to score as many points'as possible over the opposing player. In setting the pieces on the board I do not require the pieces to be arranged in any particular order. That is to say, there is Vno particular arrangement necessary, and the piece corresponding to' any State may be placed wherever desired by the player to whom it belongs. Of course the player will readily see that it is to his advantageto place the States having the highest electoral votes on squares where they will have the greatest possible protection from the pieces of lower value.

For convenience in scoring I shall provide with the game apparatus, agreat number of printed slips having the names of the States' written in order in a verticalV line thereupon. On each side of this central column there will be a printed column in which will appear opposite each State, a number corresponding to its electoral vote. One column of numbers may be assigned 'to the white player and the other to black Then when any player scores the value of a certain State the electoral voteof that State will be canceled in the opponents column. In this way the players can keep the score kvery conveniently.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described herein is only one Copies of this patent may be obtained for of the many embodiments my invention may take, and I do not wish to be limited in the practice of my invention, nor in my claims, to the particular embodiment set forth.

Y AI claim: Y

l. A game apparatus comprisinga game board having means thereupon for indicating the direction of movement for pieces, in combination with a plurality of movable pieces v having dii'erent values indicated thereupon, respectively, and adapted to be moved about upon the game board.

2. A game apparatus comprising a game board having means thereupon for indicating the direction of movement for pieces, in combination with a plurality of movable pieces corresponding to States of the Union, each piece bearing a number indicating the electoral vote of the State to which that piece corresponds.

3. A game apparatus comprising a game board having means thereupon for indicating thel direction of movement for pieces, in combination with a plurality of movable pieces corresponding to States of the Union and comprising two distinctive duplicate sets, each piece bearing a number indicating the electoral vote of the State to which that piece corresponds.

4. A game apparatus comprising a checkered board' in combination with a plurality of movable pieces corresponding to States of the Union and comprising two distinctive duplicate sets, each piece having means thereupon indicating that it corresponds to a certain State and also bearing a number indicating the electoral vote of that State.

5. A game apparatus comprising a checkered board with squares thereupon disposed in transverse rows, in combination with a plurality of movable pieces corresponding to States of the Union and comprising two distinctive duplicate sets corresponding to two political parties, each piece having means thereupon for indicating that it corresponds to a certain State and bearing a numberindicating the electoral vote of that State.'

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set iiveV cents each, by addressing the Gommissioner of Patents,

Washington, 13:0. 

